as introduced - 93rd Legislature (2023 - 2024) Posted on 06/28/2024 10:19am
A bill for an act
relating to health care; requiring pharmacists to dispense a prescription using an
audible container label or braille container label for patients who are visually
impaired or blind; amending Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 151.212, by adding
a subdivision.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 151.212, is amended by adding a subdivision
to read:
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(a) A pharmacy must inform
each patient for whom a prescription drug is dispensed that an accessible prescription drug
container label is available to any patient who identifies as a person who is blind, visually
impaired, or otherwise disabled, upon request of the patient or the patient's representative,
at no additional cost.
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(b) If a patient requests an accessible container label, the pharmacy shall provide the
patient with an audible, large print, or braille prescription drug container label depending
on the need and preference of the patient.
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(c) The accessible container label must:
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(1) be affixed on the container;
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(2) be available in a timely manner comparable to other patient wait time;
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(3) last for at least the duration of the prescription;
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(4) conform with the format-specific best practices established by the United States
Access Board;
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(5) contain the information required under subdivisions 1 and 2; and
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(6) be compatible with a prescription reader if a reader is provided.
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(d) This subdivision does not apply to prescription drugs dispensed and administered
by an institutional pharmacy or a correctional institution.
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(e) For purposes of this subdivision:
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(1) "prescription reader" means a device that is designed to audibly convey the
information contained on the label of a prescription drug container; and
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(2) "institutional pharmacy" means a pharmacy that is part of or is operated in conjunction
with any of the following health care facilities: hospital, outpatient surgical center, nursing
facility, residential care facility, rehabilitation facility, hospice care program, home and
community-based services provider, residential facility for individuals with mental illness
or developmental disabilities, or any other similar health care facility.
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